


Selkie Wife and Swan Maiden

by Tazzy_Ladynero



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Fairy Tale with a Twist, Gen, Tumblr idea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-13
Updated: 2016-12-13
Packaged: 2018-09-08 09:01:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8838532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tazzy_Ladynero/pseuds/Tazzy_Ladynero
Summary: A fisherman has a selkie wife, fairly caught, but what will happen when he hears about a swan maiden and her possible fortune as a dowry?





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off of this tumblr post which I completely loved: https://nowriteanswers.tumblr.com/post/153910779159/inquisitivefeminist-funereal-disease

Hans Anderson was a good man, a fisherman, who had the good fortune of one day stumbling upon some selkie maidens frolicking in the waves with their seal skins lying on the nearby rocks. They were all gorgeous, and he wasted no time in scooping up a skin, knowing he would be even more fortunate with a selkie as his wife. After all, there was so many rumors of how a person’s fortune had increased with such a being as their wife. The woman whose skin he held was beautiful with silver gray hair and dark, soulful eyes that she turned on him as the rest of the selkie maids ran for the ocean, their long, pale limbs flashing in the full moon light.

“You are my wife now,” he told the selkie maid, and she had bowed her head, following him back to his home. 

Only, his fortune seemed to have decreased over the past several months. His wife was dutiful, lovely, and overall the perfect wife. He even enjoyed her in their bed whenever they were together. Yet, it was his fishing that was suffering. No matter where he cast his nets nor what time of day he went, his net either snagged on something sharp so that it was half cut by the time he managed to get it back in the ship, or the fish were so sickly and small, he knew he would get a copper for the whole lot. It was only because his selkie wife was so good at cooking and bargaining in the market that they had any food on the table.

Then his luck seemed to change when he was in the market, getting yet  _ more _ string to repair his nets once again. He had been trying to figure out what he could afford from their meager savings when he heard a couple of men talking just behind him.

“Swear on me old mother’s grave, they were there,” stated one man, his voice soft as if sharing a deep secret he didn’t want anyone else to hear. “Three gorgeous maidens, bathing in the pond under the full moon as if they hadn’t a care. Water glittered off their pale skin like diamonds, and each would have made Aphrodite herself green with envy.”

“I think someone’s been playing you,” drawled a second man, his voice thick with disbelief. “Or you were drunk and stumbled upon some young maids out having some fun.”

“I’m telling you! They were  _ real _ swan maidens!” hissed the first man, and Hans did his best to not show he was listening in now. “Their feathered cloaks were nearby on the rocks, and I watched them toss them on before transforming into white swans, flying off when they were done bathing.”

There was a huff. “And just what do you plan on doing with a swan maiden for a wife, hm?” asked the second voice, but Han’s noticed that he had also lowered his voice as if starting to believe his friend. “Aren’t you stepping out with Ceridwen, Stefan?”

“Swan maidens are rumored to come with a  _ fortune  _ as their dowry, Derwyn,” growled the voice of Stefan. “Ceridwen will understand.  _ Her _ dowry is only two ewes and a ram. Besides, all I have to do is wait at the pond in the forest, grab her cloak of feathers, and I can force her to give up her fortune in exchange for her cloak.”

Hans put the string back down and casually strolled from the stall. A swan maiden for a wife would return his fortune back to a positive situation especially if she came with a fortune like the two men said. He didn’t recognise either voice, but he knew who to talk to for the correct information. His feet quickly carried him to the edge of the village and into the woods, his mind already made up. If this worked out, he’d throw his selkie wife out of the house and move his swan maiden in.

The hut he ended up at had a rickety fence that looked to be made out of sticks and branches, barely containing the almost wild collection of plants and bushes beyond. A path made of large river stones ran from the gate to the front door, and the thatched roof had flowers of all things sprouting from it. The smoke was an odd mix of purple and gray, and he tried to not think about the cats that were prowling through the plants as he walked up to the door, knocking sharply on the rough wood.

There was a few strange sound from behind the door before it swung open, revealing a darkened interior, and Hans carefully entered, letting his eyes adjust to the more gloomy interior. There were shelves everywhere, crammed with jars containing things he would rather not think about, and cobwebs decorated the beams holding the roof up. Hans shuddered as he thought about the bugs and dirt everywhere as he picked his way across the filthy floor towards the fireplace set on the far side of the room.  

A large cauldron bubbled over the flames while a crooked woman with a hooked nose was stirring whatever was in it that created the strange purple and gray smoke. An amber eye peered at Hans form under scraggly gray hair, and a sharp grin filled with strong white teeth greeted him as he stopped nearby, trying hard to not breathe in that strange smoke.

“What brings you to Old Helga, Hans Anderson the Selkie Husband?” cackled the old woman, turning back to her strange brew. “Are you not happy with your catch?”

Hans frowned and folded his arms. He hated the thought of this old witch in the woods so close to the village but he couldn’t deny that she was a great asset for everyone there. “I heard a rumor that swan maidens come with a fortune as a dowry,” he stated. “Is it true?”

Old Helga hummed before shuffling over to a shelf to grab a jar with what looked like lizard tails. “It’s true.”

“Where can I find the swan maidens that bathe in the forest pond?” he demanded, his eyes lighting up even as his heart hammered in excitement. Finally, his luck was swinging towards the good again. All he had to do was grab a feathered cloak, and he would have another lovely wife. But this one came with a fortune instead of soulful eyes and bad luck.

Instead of instantly replying, the witch hobbled back to the cauldron as she opened the jar before plunging her hand into the sickly yellow liquid. Pulling out her hand, she dropped several tails into the cauldron which belched out a brief cloud of greenish smoke before it settled back into the strange purple and gray. “You seek a swan maiden, hoping her fortune will change yours.”

She cackled, and Hans felt a chill run down his spine as if someone had just walked over his grave as she pointed a gnarled finger at him. “You would not be the first, nor will you be the last to seek out the swan maidens,” she announced, her voice somehow ringing through the small cottage. “Old Helga knows where the maidens play in the water, but what price will you pay, hm?”

“What do you want?” Hans asked, thinking of his ship with its patched sail and even more patched nets. He honestly didn’t have anything of value to offer Old Helga, not for what he felt the information on the swan maidens would be worth. 

“You have the skin of a selkie,” Old Helga stated, stepping closer to him, and he blinked at her in surprise. He supposed he wouldn’t need it with a swan maiden as a wife, and his earlier plan for returning the skin to his wife to set her free was quickly forgotten with the possibility of gold dancing in his head. Old Helga put the jar of lizard tails aside and walked over to him. “I have need of such a thing. Do you agree to the deal? Your selkie skin in exchange for the information of the swan maidens?”

Hans nodded, his face determined. “It is a deal. My selkie skin for your information on the swan maidens.”

Old Helga nodded, a slow motion, and Hans felt like his fate had been cast somehow. “Go retrieve your skin, and when I see it, I will tell you where the maidens bathe.”

Turning on his heel, Hans raced out of the hut and through the forest, determined to have a swan maiden and her fortune that night for his own. He was not going to give anyone else a chance to snag a swan maiden for themselves, not when he needed her fortune more.

He was breathing a bit heavy when he reached his cottage on the sea, but he was happy to note that his selkie wife wasn’t home. She was probably down at the market or walking along the shore as she was known to do, staring wistfully out at the waves. He shook his head as he pulled a stone out of the wall near the fireplace, revealing a hidden hole containing a rolled up seal skin. He shifted the stone to one arm, freeing up the other so he could grab the skin before shoving the stone back into place. Then, before he could change his mind, he raced back to the witch’s hut.

Old Helga muttered to herself as she ran her fingers over the skin as it was stretched out on her table, and Hans tried to not shift impatiently. He knew the fur was silky soft, having brought the skin out of hiding several times to just stroke it himself, and there was no sign of bald patches anywhere on the skin. To be honest, it looked like a seal had just stretched out on her table and fallen asleep.

“Good. It is in excellent condition,” praised the witch, finally turning from the skin to hobble over to a different  shelf, pulling out what looked like a large crystal containing a downy black feather hanging from a gold chain. “Wear this and you will be immune to their magic, allowing you to take one of their cloaks. They bathe in the pond by the standing stones near the center of the forest under the moonlight. They are shy and modest creatures who do not bathe for any male that they know is there.”

Hans nearly tore the chain out of her hand before throwing it over his head with trembling hands. He knew that place, nearly everyone in the village did as the children would play there on the hotter summer days. He would have to hurry to beat Stefan there before the other man scared the maidens away in his own desire to secure a swan maiden.

“White feathers will be your doom, Hans Anderson!” called Old Helga behind him, but he ignored her as he raced out the door. If he never saw her again, it would be far too soon.

Taking a few short cuts through the thick undergrowth that he remembered as a child, Hans easily made his way through the forest, feeling as if he was racing the sun that was slowly sinking in the sky. He had to get to the pond for the best hiding spot possible because it wouldn’t do to have the swan maidens avoid the water because they saw him. He doubted he would get a second chance at snagging a swan maiden.

He managed to make it to the pond just as the last rays of the sun slipped below the horizon, and ha nearly laughed as he realized he was the only person there. He carefully looked around before he decided to settle next to a pile of rocks that were partially covered in moss and bushes. He vaguely remembered Stefan stating that the swan maiden had placed her cloak on the stones when she had entered the water. Crouching down, he wrapped his arms around his knees and settled in to wait.

It was the sound of wings flapping through the air that roused him from the doze he had slipped into, and he jerked his head up, looking around to find three graceful swans glowing in the light of the rising moon. He watched in awe as they glided through the air before landing near his hiding spot, and in a shimmer of white light, there were three beautiful maidens standing there that made even his selkie wife seem hideous. Each was dressed in a white gossamer gown that fell to her knees, raven black hair to her slender waist, and a cloak of white feathers across her shoulders.

Hans watched in stunned disbelief as they casually stripped out of their dresses, leaving only their cloaks to protect their modesty. Two of the maidens moved a bit farther away as they unfastened their cloaks, laying them carefully on the rocks, but the third maiden moved a bit closer to the hidden Hans, her hands going to her cloak. 

Hans watched, tense and excited, and the second the feathers slipped from her white shoulders, he leaped out of his hiding spot. His hands closed around the feathered cloak, and he yanked it the rest of the way off her body, holding it aloft with a triumphant smile on his face. He had done it! He had the swan maiden’s cloak, and now she - and her fortune - was his!

“You are now my wife,” he announced, his voice ringing through the air, and he stared at the swan maiden, finding her curled up to hide her naked body from his eyes even as her own were wide with surprise. “Your fortune is now mine as well.”

A sudden breeze caught the cloak and tugged at it. Hans frowned and shifted his gaze to the fistful of feathers that he held, a bit afraid that someone or something was trying to take his prize from him. No, the white feathers were still held quite securely in his grasp, but the distraction was his undoing. 

He never saw the fist that broke his jaw and sent him sprawling on the ground. However, he did feel the other fists that proceeded to methodically break every bone in his body before he finally passed out from the pain.

 

@@@

 

Old Helga grinned as a bag of coins was placed in her hand with a small clink, followed by the crystal necklace that the greedy Hans had been wearing. Ceridwen, the head swan of the flock, jerked a thumb over her shoulder, back in the direction of the pond. 

“If you need any parts, his body is that way,” she remarked, her musical voice a harsh contrast to the casual crudeness of the deal. “Did the selkie get back to her home all right?”

“Of course. She was back in the water before he even reached the pond,” Old Helga remarked with a fond smile for the maiden who had broken down and sobbed in Helga’s arms, when the old witch had presented her with her skin. She shook her head. “I will never understand why men aren’t happy with what they have.”

“Because there are greedy men everywhere,” Ceridwen said with a chuckle and a shake of her head. “If you or any of your sisters hear of any more maidens enslaved by men, we’ll be delighted to deal with the problem.”

Helga chuckled, tucking the bag in her large pack. “Escort me to the pond, and I’ll tell you of another that Maegan three kingdoms south has heard about.”

Nodding, the swan maiden pulled her feathered cloak a bit tighter around her to protect her from the slight chill in the air, and she fell into step next to Helga, listening to the story of a mermaid who had gotten too curious and was now stranded on land. This would be a good challenge for the flock, being more use to rescuing stranded selkie maidens, but sometimes, it was good to change things up once in awhile. They were there for  _ any _ who were held captive on land, whether they wore fur or scales.

When they reached the pond, it was full of children playing in both human and cygnet forms while being watched by various adults. A rather attractive man walked over and wrapped an arm around Ceridwen’s waist before he gave her a soft and loving kiss. Ceridwen giggled and blushed like a girl half her apparent age. “I missed you too, Stefan.”

Helga chuckled at their apparent love, enjoying the sight of them nearly glowing with it, before she turned her attention to the broken body lying next to the rocks. Tisking, she crouched down, pulling her pack off her back. “I warned you that white feathers would be your doom, Hans Anderson,” she remarked before pulling out several jars, some knives, and a few other tools. “But at least you’ll serve a purpose after death. I was low on eyes that wandered, an untrue heart, and a liar’s tongue.”


End file.
